Article-dispensing device



March 15 1927.

J. c. JENSEN ET AL ARTICLE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1924 '4 Sheets-Sheet 1 fWVew/ans. Jusflizrzkifz'an Jensen O'PplllLegghro kiwi/Warm? J March 15 1927.

J. c. JENSEN ET AL ARTICLE DISPENSING DEVIG E Filed Jan. 25, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 gi n's Chrz'sizanJemse-n OrpilleLeizray March 15 1927.

' J. c; JENSEN ET AL ARTICLE DISPENSING DEVICE ts-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 15, 1927.

UNETE' ST arrar JENS CHRISTIAN .JENSEN ANID QRVI'ILLE LEIGH ROY MILES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS} SAID JENSEN ASSEGNQR T SAID MIELES.

AnTIeLanIsPEnsms DEVICE.

Application filed January 25, 1 924. Seri'aLNo. 688,483.

i It is our, object to provide such a dispens ing machine having a compartment or container into which the articles or packages may be dumped or placed at'randomyand without being arranged in any particular order therein; and'to provide means in said machine fortaking said articles or packages and arranging and delivering them in the desired propermanner. A further object is to provide such a machine which'is operated by means of a coin controlled device and is arranged to deliver saidarticles or packages in harmony with the operation ofsaid coin controlled device.

It is to be understood that the terms Farticles and packages, as used in this application, are meant to include a single piece of gum, candy, or the like, or likewise'several things or pieces thereof combined by the use of a wrapper or binding means into a single package or article. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. y

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which, p Fig. l is an elevational View of a housing comprising an embodiment of our invention; Fig. 2 is .a slightly enlarged" vertical section of said invention, taken on line 2'2 of Fig. l; y Y

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections thereof, taken on lines 33 and le-45, respectively,

of Fig 2;

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section, taken I on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; I T

Fig. 6 is an inverted horizontal sectionon Zine 6 6 of Fig! 5 5 of Fig. 3,. a

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section .online 7+7 ofFig;2; I y

c Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan viewiof the pinion and oscillating means, shown inverted in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on line 9.9 of- Fig. 8'; and: I I i i Fig. 10- is a vertical section'on line 10 10 In the drawings we-have'discl'osed the'preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, andsai'd form comprises a housing "'12having an upper compartment or container 13 provided therein for receiving the articles or packages, which may bedumped or placed'thereiiuat random and without being arranged in special order. An openable coveror top 14' is. mounted on the open- "upper end of said compartment, and is preferably: provided with fianges'ly to sl-id'ably engage beneath the upper' rim 12 of the housing, locking means 1'5 being dows 16 are preferably provided" at the front and sides of the compartment 133, and windows 17 are preferably placed" in sides and front of the cover 14, an electric light the device. 4 M

A casing 20, preferably cylindrical. in form, is mounted withupwardly inclined flanges 20 in said housing, said flanges being t in the cover to illuminate forming part of thebottom for the compartment 13. A-shaft 21 is. mounted to rotate. in the bottom 22' of said casing, and a member 2%, preferably cylindrical in form, and having a dome shaped top isjsecured to-the top of said shaft to rotate therewith. One: or more stirring elements or arms-24- are inounted on the top of said member for stirring and moving the articles as the member rotates and in order to slide them into the space 25 formed between the circumference of'said member and theinner Wall ofcasing '20. The member-23 withits'arms 24 forms means" for stirring andmoving the packages downward from the containerand primarily arranging the same in order, thesize of t-he space 25 being arranged to suit the thickness and-height of anarticle or package dispensed by'said machine.

e provide. means'lfor further arranging I and for feedin the articles, such means 'comprovided to lock the cover in position. 'Win- I prising a man a6. preferably"cylindtical in form, which is provided with an upper horizontal flange 27 extending partly around said member, and a pair of inclined flanges 28 and 28 slanting downward in opposite directions from flange 27 around the member 26, and having the lower parts 29 bent vertically downward forming a space or gate 30 therebetween, which is of the size or an article or package to be fed therethrough, and flanges 31 extend from the lower end of said flanges 29 horizontally around the bottom of cylindrical member 26 and serve to prevent articles or packages which have been fed through space or gate 30 from moving upwards.

The means for operating the feeding mechanism comprises a gear 32 fastened on shaft 21' (Figs. 5 and 6) and engaging a pinion 33 having a disc 34 thereon with a pin 35 which engages in a slot 36 in an arm 37 fastened 011 a diaphragm 38 provided in the lower part of cylindrical member 26, said pinion 33 being pivoted ona lower wall 39 of casing 20. The rotation of shaft 21, oscillates said feeding mechanism and arranges the articles between cylindrical member 26 and casing 20, above the inclined flange 28, and with such oscillation the 1 packages slide down into space 30; the space beneath the upper flange 27 and the inclined flange 28 therebeneath being provided to receive articles only when descending too rapidly on the opposite inclined flange 28, and thus provides elasticity to the feeding mechanism and prevents overcrowding or blocking of the articles when moving from said opposite flange 28 into said space 30, and when the articles move too slowly down the flange 28 then the articles on flange 28 will move forward into space 30.

, We provide means for delivering the articles received from said feeding means, said delivering means including means for containing a plurality or a row of articles arranged in order, also means forresiliently moving orshoving said plurality or row of articles toward the discharge opening, and means for properly timing and discharging said articles. The means for containing said row comprises a cylindrical member 40 extending upward from the lower end of cas- 111g 20 to the wall 39 which forms its top, an annular channel. 41 being formed between said member 40 and casing, 20, beneath flange 31, for housing a row or plurality of said articles to enable them, to be fed promptly without interruption and in proper order. The means for moving or shoving said articles forward in close formation comprises a plurality of spaced arms 42 resiliently mounted as with .coil springs 43, on the perimeter ofa drum 44 which is fastened with its ends on the shaft 21 to rotate therewith, said arms extending into sald channel-41, through slots 45 formed in cylindrical member 40, and travel in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 4. A bar 46 extends from flange 31 into space 41 (see Figs. 2 and 10), beneath flange 28' and adjacent space 30 to prevent articles from moving backward, and said arms 42 swing gear sectors 47' and 48' are provided on members 47 and 48 to rotate themtogether and to force the articles therewith out of said channel. A slotted link 49 is fastened to a shaft 50 depending from member 47, and a. crank arm 51 is mounted on main shaft 21, carrying a pin 52 which slides in the slot in said link 49 to operate said gear sectors and cylindrical members; the con-r struction being so arranged. asvto oscillate said partial cylindrical members 47 and48 just sufliciently with each revolution of the main shaft 21 to grasp one article from channel 41 and force it outward therebetween, into a discharge spout 53 to slide and deliver the article out of the device.

This dispensing device is particularly arranged to cooperate with a known-and suitable type of coin controlled mechanism 55 having the usual coin receiving slot 56 and an operating shaft with a hand wheel 58,,which is turna-ble when the proper coin has been deposited in slot 56. vTo theinner end of this operating shaft 57 is fastened a pinion 59 in position to engage a pinion 60 fastened on the main shaft 21 of the dispensing device. The pinions 59 and 60 are furnished in comparative sizes to rotate said main shaft 21 a complete revolution, to discharge an article or package with each individual operation or turn of the coin controlled shaft 57 permitted in consequence of the particular coin deposited.

l/Vhile we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be'limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims. 1

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A dispensing device comprising a casing; a hopper in said casing; a rotatable clined flange in said space'on: the periphery of said rotatable member, there being a discharge space at the lowerend of said 1nclined flange; and means for removmg and discharging articles from said discharge space, substantially as dejcribed.

21A dispensing device comprising a cas-- ing; a hopper in said casing; arotatable member at the bottom of said hopper, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said member; an arranging member below said rotatable nember, there bemgan annular space betweensaid casing and the periphery of said arranging member; an inclined flangem said space on the periphery of said arranging member, there being a discharge space atthe lower end of said inclined flange; and

means for removing and discharging articles from said dischargespace, substantially as described. r

3.,A dispensing device comprising a cas ing; a hopper in said casing; a rotatable member at the bottom of said hopper, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said member; an arranging member below said rotatable member, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said arranging member; an inclined flange in said space on the periphery of said arranging member, there being a discharge space at the lower end of said inclined flange; a horizontal flange on said arranging member above said discharge space; a horizontal flange on said arranging member below said inclined flange; and 'means for removing and discharging articles from said discharge space, substantially as described.

4. A dispensing device comprising a casing; a hopper in said casing; a rotatable member at the bottom'of said hopper, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said member; an oscillatory arranging member below said rotatable member, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said arranging member; flange in said space on the periphery of said arranging member, there being a discharge space at the lower end of said inclined flange; and means for removing and discharging articles from said discharge space, substantially as described.

5. A dispensing device comprising a casin'g; ahopper in said casing; a rotatable member at the bottom of said hopper, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said member; an os- 'cillatory arranging member below said rotatable member, there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery an inclined of said arranging-member; an inclined flange in said space onthe'pemphery'ofisaid arranging member, there beingjadischarge space at the lower end of vsaid inclined flange; "a horizontal flange on saidarrangingmember above said discharge space; a

horizontal flange on said arranging member belowsaid. sinclin ed flange; and means for removing and discharging articles from said discharge space, substantially as described 6.A dispensingdevice comprising a casing;..a "hopper in said casing; a rotatable member at the bottom of said hopper, there being'an annular space between said casing and the periphery of said rotatable member an oscillatory member below said rotatable member-,there being an annular space between said casing and the periphery ofsaid oscillatory member; arranging means on the periphery of said arrangingmember operat ing in said annularspace; andwmeans for discharging articles arranged infsaid annular space, substantially as described.

7. A dispensing devicecomprising a casingja vertical shaft in said casing;coin

controlled means'for rotating said shaft; a

hopper in the upper portion of said casing; a rotating stirring member on said shaft and constituting the bottom of said hopper, there being an annular space around said stirring member; means on said stirring member for forcing articles in said hopper outwardly into said space; an oscillatory arranging member loosely mounted on said shaft below said stirring member, there being an annular space around said arranging member; a horizontal flange extending around a portlon of the top of said arranging member; an in-' clined flange extending around the body of said arranging member" forming an annular discharge space registering with the said discharge space of said arranging member; and

means operable by said shaft for withdraw-- ing articles from said annular discharge space singly, substantially as described.

8. A dispensing device comprising a casing; a vertical shaft in said casing; coin controlled means for rotating said shaft; a hopper in the upper portion of said casing; a rotating stirring member on said shaft and constituting the bottom of saidhopper, there being an annular space around said stirring member; means on said stirring member for forcing articles in said hopper outwardly into said space; an oscillatory arranging member loosely mounted on'said shaftbelow'said stirring member, there being anannular space around said arrangingmember; a horizontal flange extending around a portion of the top of said arranging member; an inclined flange extending around the body of said arranging member, there being a discharge space at the lower end of said inclined flange, under said horizontal flange; a' horizontal flange extending from the sides of said discharge space around said arranging member; an oscillatory connection between said shaft and arranging member for oscillating the latter; a stationary member cylindrical members arranged at-the delivery end of said discharge space; interrupted gear members operating said partially cylindrical members to discharge the end-most article from said annular discharge space;

and an operative connection between said shaft and said partially cylindrical members for oscillating the same to discharge the endmost member from said annular discharge space, substantially as described.

9. A dispensing device comprising an an nular feed chamber having horizontal slots in one Wall; a plurality of yielding fingers projecting through said slots into said chamber and traveling through said chamber; and means for discharging the end-most article from said chamber, substantially as described.

10. A dispensing device comprising an annular feed chamber having slots in its inner Wall; a plurality of revolving yieldable fingers arranged Within the inner Wall of said chamber andto project through said slots; and means for discharging the enclmost article from said chamber, substan tially as described. r

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

JENS CHRISTIAN JENSEN. ORVILLE LEIGHROY MILES. 

